Considered conspecific with servalina by Hayman in the original description, and followed by Coetzee (1977b) and Wozencraft (1993). However, see Rosevear (1974), Crawford-Cabral (1981a), Powell and Van Rompaey (1998), and Van Rompaey and Colyn (1998) who considered it distinct. Synonyms allocated according to Gaubert et al. (2003a, b).